24-year-old's dog grooming business in Runcorn named best in Cheshire

Twenty-four-year-old Opal Williams works tirelessly, six days a week, running the Cheshire Canine Salon in Runcorn.

But her hard work has been recognised by her loyal customers who nominated her for the prestigious England’s Business Award.

Opal knew she wanted to work with animals after leaving high school when she went on to study animal management at Reaseheath College in Nantwich.

“I completed the two-year course in a year,” she said. “After that I did dog grooming for a while. I went to Manchester and went self-employed.”

Opal Williams holding her award (Image: Supplied)At the young age of 21, local pet groomers in Sutton Early Paws, hired Opal to run the business.

“It was started up as a dog groomer and then expanded to the kennels, so I took the position to look after the dog grooming side of it,” Opal explained.

Opal, who is the sole employee at the dog salon, is kept extremely busy with a constant flow of customers, grooming and pampering between 10 to 12 pooches a day.

She added: “This business is my life. I cannot imagine myself in another job.

“I suffer with my mental health and the dogs are the best therapy for me.”

Another rewarding element of the job is seeing the dogs build trust in her, Opal said.

“I had one client, and the dog was a really nervous rescue dog. I just took my time with them and slowly made them more confident in going to the groomers. Now they don’t mind coming at all.”

Opal has now run the Cheshire Canine Salon for two years and won Cheshire Best Dog Groomers 2023 award out of more than 600 nominees.

In a rare bit of spare time the dog groomer spends it volunteering at Cheshire Sighthound Rescue, pampering rescue dogs and preparing them for their new homes.

Summarising the experience of receiving the reward, Opal said: “I have never won anything in my life. I was completely shocked.

“It is a great place to work and I want to say a massive thanks to Early Paws.”